Last night, we were at the Supreme Court.
I'm told Pelosi, Sanders, and Booker were there. In the crowd of 2,000 I never saw them. The mics didn't work, so there was no way to know if they were talking.
The chanting was good, including old favorites such as:
-- No Hate No Fear. Refugees Are Welcome Here
-- We Are the popular vote
-- Leader: Show me what Democracy looks like? Crowd: This is what democracy looks like!
-- Candlelight vigil
Some ones to new to me:
-- We can't stand him, impeach President Bannon
-- Leader: Whose rights? Crowd: Our Rights! (I'm worried about this one, as it focuses attention on the people there. But, it plays into something else later on.)
There was a bunch of press. Folks with big TV cameras, folks liveblogging. Folks interviewing the crowd while leading chants.
After a while, DC police decided to open up the street between the Supreme Court and the Capitol. Motorcycle cops came down, forcing everyone off the streets and onto the curbs.
As soon as they passed, some idiot white guy whose never been tased and is having too much fun (hello), was one of several people leading into the streets with the refrain:
-- Leader: Whose Streets? Crowd: OUR STREETS
Luckily, this ended well -- the DC police backed off -- but taunting cops isn't a good idea.
Before this, the crowd was dying down. We were about to leave, as things were coming to an end. Then the cops show up, and everything is turned back up to eleven. I'm not sure if that was the intention.
While we were there, Acting AG Sally Q. Yates stood up to Trump. By the time we got home, she was fired by the usurper.
I'm not sure this did anything. It was fun, but that's hardly the point.
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William: Thanks so much for being out there! Sorry it got tense. (EDIT for clarity: Sorry not because that's inherently bad ... protest is tense ... but because he's probably still feeling the adrenaline dump this morning, and that's a drag)
ReplyDeleteAs a white guy, I have concluded that while it is absolutely imperative for me to be out there lending my voice and body to the message, leading chants is a bad look on me this year.
A little civil disobedience is good for the soul. Also it is good practice, if/when it is truly need.
ReplyDeleteTony Lower-Basch Generally, i agree with you. This is the only time I've lead a thing. It felt good, but agreed the job is mainly to empower others. Which maybe it did, as the next time I followed women into the streets.
ReplyDeleteDianne Harris For sure.
Good on you for making it work! We really need to hit a protest together one of these days.
ReplyDeleteNext time you drive to one, give me a heads up and we may be able to make it!
ReplyDelete